Book Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Mass

Series:	Throne of Glass #2
Genre:	Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Assassins
Publication.Date:	August 27, 2013
Pages:	448 (paperback)
Published By:	Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Website:	Sarah J. Maas
	Crown of Midnight on Goodreads
My review copy:	Bought

Where to get:

Celaena Sardothien is the king's Champion—yet she is far from loyal to the crown, for the man she serves is bent on evil. But working against her master in secret is no easy task. As Celaena tries to untangle the mysteries buried within the glass castle, she can trust no one, not even her supposed allies Crown Prince Dorian, Captain of the Guard Chaol, and foreign princess Nehemia.

Then, an unspeakable tragedy shatters Celaena's world. She must decide once and for all where her loyalties lie . . . and whom she will fight for.

An action-packed and romantic adventure that readers “will never want to leave” (Kirkus Reviews), the next chapter in this smash hit New York Times best-selling series is sure to please Sarah Maas's enormous and ever-growing fan-base–and to set the stage for an explosive third book.

(Goodreads)

"I'd like to debrief you."

"Aren't you at least going to take me out to dinner first?" His eyes narrowed, and she gave him a pout.

"Dance with me, Celaena," he said again, his voice rough.

When her eyes found his, she forgot about the cold, and the moon, and the glass palace looming above them. The secret library and the king's plans and Mort and Elena faded into nothing. She took his hand, and there was only music and Chaol.

Every one of the restraits she'd locked into place after she'd rampaged through Endovier snapped free.

An icy, endless rage swept through her, wiping away everything except the plan that she could see with brutal clarity. The killing calm, Arobynn Hamel had once called it. Even he had never realized just how calm she could get when she went over the edge.

I don't remember the last time I have been so enraptured by a series. I first read Throne of Glass for our January TBR pile read along and LOVED it. Of course, it didn't hurt that I was also reading it in Aruba on my honeymoon, but that's neither here nor there. It took me a few weeks to pick up Crown of Midnight and I couldn't tell you why.

Crown of Midnight is simply an amazing follow up to Throne of Glass. I didn't think it would be possible to be more in love with a book, but consider me wrong. Sarah takes this world she has already so wonderfully crafted and delves deeper into its secrets.

Now that she has secured herself as The King's Assassin, Celaena must play by the rules to stay out of prison and keep those she loves out of harms way. But let's face it, this is Celaena Sardothien we're talking about! This chick is bad ass and plays by no ones rules but her own.

I don't want to say the first half of the book is "slow," because it's not. It's simply not as action packed as the later half. Celaena still kicks ass, banters with Chaol and Dorian, trains, and grows closer to Nehemia. I love seeing her interact with these people and form relationships that we would not have thought possible in the beginning of Throne of Glass. These characters all mean something to her and she means something to them. I don't know if I can pick a favorite among them, because they all add something different to the story and help shape the characters and their choices.

Each and every character, right down to Dorian's cousin Roland (a new character who makes minimal appearances), is fully formed. They come alive on these pages and move the plot along, even if it's something as simple as an off the cuff remark. Nothing is accidental, nothing is random. Sarah has meticulously planed each and every scene, each and every character, to play a pivotal role in her series.

Simply writing this review is enough to make me wish I had my copy of Heir of Fire on hand. I just want need to wrap myself up in a blanket of the Throne of Glass series and not come out until I find out what happens after that ending!